There is nothing worse than getting to Offida and no longer find the Who who. In reality it is not true, because Offida is so beautiful that it is always worth more than worth visiting, as well as the whole territory of the Piceno in which it is immersed. If there is Chichì, however, much better, also because it is the gastronomic symbol of this country, to which the Offidani are particularly attached. The problem is that with the passage of time, they stopped preparing it at home and started buying it more and more outside, in those only three or four bakeries left. But what is Chichì?

What is Offida's filled Chichì

Chichì is a closed and stuffed focaccia, but in the past it was not like that. In fact, it is born open, with a series of vegetables on top; then over time it begins to "close", perhaps for practicality since it was the classic sandwich that the farmer used to bring to the countryside during work. The dough is soft and thin, similar to that of rustic bread and pizza: lard was once added, but today it is made with flour, eggs, salt, milk, yeast and a pinch of sugar to taste. The filling varies greatly depending on the version, but basically there are some constants: tuna, pepperoni finely chopped red and yellow sweets in oil, artichokes in oil e green olives, rigorously keep them (sometimes they even add them black). To these three ingredients, always present, there are those who add i capers (for some a heresy not to be done), who anchovies (for others a deformation unthinkable) and so on. But what does Chichì mean?

The origin of the name

There are at least four hypothesis on the origin of this name. The first claims that chichì means Pizza in the local dialect, especially filled, to distinguish it from the classical one. The second hypothesis, however, gives it an infantile connotation, so that chichì would be a nickname given by the children to indicate this focaccia; according to this theory, while the women waited for the bread to be ready at home, they gave it to the children lu chichì, a piece of mass that they themselves would handle. Then there are those who claim that it is a name given during Barbarian Invasions to indicate this particular type of stuffed focaccia with preserved fish inside. Finally, another theory that we like very much is that according to which chichì refers to the morning song of cock, because chichì is always done very early in the morning. What is (almost) certain is its Ottoman origin, or at least a strong resemblance to the Armenian focaccia lahmagiun, a sort of pizza stuffed with a soft crust. But the beauty of Chichì is also this: everyone has both his own theory on the name and his way of preparing it.

Where to find (maybe) Chichì in Offida

Finding Chichì in Offida is not really that simple, mainly for two reasons. The first is that many do it only and exclusively on Friday, as being meatless, it is perfect for the lean day. The second reason concerns the fact that once baked, it ends up in the bakery immediately, because as an offender tells us: "By now we have become too greedy, we inhabitants first". This is why the advice is to always book it; also because prevention is better than cure the desire of Chichì! The favorite of many Offidani is the historic bakery Pierantozzi, which does it only on Friday; here the chef also takes it Daniele Citeroni Maurizi, for its delicious Vistrò; but Daniele is also the owner of the historic one Osteria Ophis (obligatory stop in the Piceno), where Chichì always appears as entrée, in a gourmet version of its own, only with top quality ingredients. Then Chichì also do other bakeries such as Pandol, where the version of Signora di Rita is respectable, as well as that of the Sapori di Offida oven. In short, as for Chichì all the ovens know what they are doing.
Alternatively, for more than fifty years, the Chichì Ripieno Festival has been held every first Sunday of August, because summer is its season par excellence (even if it is found all year round). Try to peek at the packed lunch that they bring to the beach from San Benedetto to Cupra Marittima and you will see how many different Chichì you will find there.